new yarn distractions

There was a box on the porch when I got home this evening. 22 balls of Muench Goa for dd's sweater. The Michael Kors hooded jacket from the Spring/Summer 2006 Vogue Knitting.




And new yarn always distracts me. So we had to pull out the needles and knit some swatch. The patt calls for 10 1/2's so that's where we start. Theoretical gauge is 13 spi, 19 rpi. I normally do about a 20 stitch or 4 inch swatch with a couple or three stitches of garter border all around. However, this sweater has pockets (and I've never done pockets before) and CO for the pocket is 18. So the swatch is 18 and gets no garter. If all turns out well, the swatch is the pocket. Sounds good to me.

So I knit it up and I'm real close to gauge. Real, real close. So the swatch went for a swim and is pictured on it's towel where it is currently drying under a ceiling fan. Dry fast little swatch so you can go to knit night tomorrow.

Then some picking up and rib knitting (k2 p2) on the shrug. I picked up 118 stitches because that's what seemed right. It's more than what the pattern called for. We'll hope it works out ok. And have another go at it, if it doesn't. Actually half or more of those stitches weren't pick-ups but held stitches that took their place on the needle. I'm ribbing on a size 11 circ about 36 inches long which holds all the stitches nicely with room to move around. Oh and I got rid of two stitches (k2tog or p2tog, one of each, I think) in the back area because 118 is not divisible by four. This rib will be good to knit at knit night because I don't have to think about it. And I can pick it up and put it down at any point.

Swallowtail gets to go too to show herself. And I can purl back that row that is waiting. And stitch in a lifeline because I'll be at the end of a section of chart.

more later, but not tomorrow because it's knit night,
j